First look: Falcon Cobra strikes again

A NEW-GENERATION Ford Cobra that strikes through the 300kW barrier has been unleashed six months before the all-new Orion Falcon is due.

Ford Performance Vehicles announced the special-edition Cobra GT sedan and ute before the start of the Bathurst enduro yesterday. The new Cobra models run an upgraded version of the 5.4-litre Boss V8 engine, with an extra 12kW and 20Nm of torque, for a total of 302kW and 540Nm.

It features stainless steel exhaust manifolds and a high-flow dual exhaust system, while a limited-slip differential is standard.

The R Spec handling package, which includes special damper and spring rates biased more towards performance than comfort, is standard.

Cobra cars also feature 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with white accents and a polished surface, plus Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 245/35ZR tyres.

Also standard are leather sports seats, which feature a stitched Cobra logo.

As expected from a Cobra model, the new-age cars are white with blue stripes that run over the bonnet, roof and boot, and there are Cobra badges on the front guards and boot.

The Cobra cars are available with a six-speed manual or ZF six-speed automatic.

Pricing starts at $61,200 for the Cobra Ute and rises to $65,110 for the Cobra GT sedan.

The Cobra revival has some striking similarities to the original release of the XC Cobra that became an instant hit.

In 1978, Ford Australia was struggling to sell its remaining 400 XC coupes as the release of the all-new sedan-only XD Falcon approached.

The company’s assistant managing director, Edsel Ford II, came up with the idea of creating a limited-edition car that would be loaded with gear and look the goods.

The XC Cobra was fitted with four-wheel disc brakes, driving lights, Bathurst Globe alloy wheels, bonnet scoops, quartz halogen headlights, special sports seats as well as those famous stripes and cobra logo.

Unlike the new Cobra model, the original cars didn’t offer any performance improvement over the regular XC coupes.

The first 200 cars were fitted with the 162kW 5.7-litre V8 and the last ran the 151kW 4.9-litre V8.

While the new Cobras have also been released to boost slow sales as the brand prepares for an all-new model, FPV has concentrated on mechanical improvements rather than just add extra equipment.

Engineers introduced a new inlet and exhaust camshaft profile to increase valve lift and make it stay open for longer, while also altering the valves and valve springs.

The compression ratio was also raised from 10.5:1 to 10.8:1 to improve combustion efficiency, while changes were also made to the engine calibration, including speeding-up the throttle response.

These changes mean the Cobra models now only run on 98 RON premium fuel.

FPV says the performance upgrades will not affect the fuel consumption of the cars.